NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Jclombardi highlights Packers vs Bears previews & headlines.

Guest senior writer jclombardi @ http://lombardiave.com

Preview: When: 7:30 p.m. Monday. Where: Soldier Field. TV: Channel 12, ESPN.  Radio: AM-620. Tickets: Sold out.  Line: Packers by 3. Weather: 57, partly cloudy. Series: Bears lead, 90-82-6. Coaches: Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy (41-28) vs. Chicago’s Lovie Smith (56-46). NEW UNIFORM: This will be DE Julius Peppers’ sixth game against the Packers; the previous five were as a member of the Carolina Panthers. LT Chad Clifton has been on the field in all five of the games, and RT Mark Tauscher has been at his station in four. In all, Peppers has 27 tackles and three sacks. YOUNG VS. OLD: Clay Matthews probably will spend most of the game over RT Kevin Shaffer. Frank Omiyale, who started at RT in the first two games, moved to the left side in Dallas when Chris Williams pulled a hamstring. “Shaffer can get killed by Matthews,” one scout said. FEATURED BACK: Matt Forte will make his fifth start against the Packers. Forte has rushed 76 times for 243 yards, a 3.2-yard average and one touchdown. He also has caught 12 passes for 85 yards, a 7.1 average and no scores. VETERAN CORNER: CB Charles Tillman, 29, will be starting his 14th game against the Packers. Added one personnel man: “He can’t really run anymore. He fell down on some double moves in Dallas.” NOTHING YET: In two games, Cutler’s rating is at 121.1 after a sterling showing in Dallas. “I thought he looked very composed,” one scout said after watching the Cowboys-Bears tape. “They move the pocket. I’m expecting them to run some more move the pocket against Green Bay.”

ESPN: Monday Matchup Madness

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Packers football–Monday’s game will be a chess match between experts: Capers vs. Martz is a subplot Monday night when the Green Bay Packers (2-0) travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears (2-0). Capers is in his second year as the defensive coordinator for the Packers, while Martz is in his first season as the offensive coordinator for the Bears. Monday night will be the first legitimate chess match between two coaches who have proven themselves as experts on opposite sides of the ball. It’s Capers’ system vs. Martz’s, a game within the game between two bitter rivals.

Matthews striving to rewrite standards of linebacker position: Someday Clay Matthews would like to be recognized as one of the NFL players who redefined his position. Like Ted Hendricks, Anthony Munoz, Jerry Rice and Lawrence Taylor before him – just to name a few – the Green Bay Packers linebacker’s talents don’t fit neatly into a box. If he continues to play like he has through 19 professional games, people might starting saying he’s a one-of-a-kind.

Green Bay Press Gazette Headlines:

Vandermause column: What rivalry Packers, Bears acting downright friendly.

3 keys to Monday nights game.

Dougherty column: Bears Cutler, Martz seem a good fit for now.

• Never underestimate a Jeff Fisher squad.  I’ve learned my lesson.  Defense is stifling, stymied Eli and the Giants at will.  Can you name more than two or three players on this unit?  Couple Fish and its D with Chris Johnson and a recharged, recuperated, revitalized, reinvigorated, reinvented Vince Young…well, what I’m trying to say, why are we questioning this man?  He does more with less, more or less, he performs miracles.  He’s proven that he’s a winner.  Consider the turnaround from last week.  Don’t let your guard down on this Tennessee squad.  This is why I always pick the Titans to outdo the Texans.  For all those who fell in love with Houston way too early, I will allow you to jump back on to the bandwagon of Jeff Fisher and his troops.
• Ponder the following: Kansas City Chiefs AFC West Champions.  Offense did damage against a vaunted 49ers defense.  Tricks were in effect on what was the most exciting play I’ve seen through three weeks.  Tony Moeaki made the best catch of the season, Tony Gonzalez?  Matt Cassel? He looked his finest as a Chief.  Sharp.  He was the biggest question mark heading in for this club.  One of the most balanced teams in all of football.  Draft class paying big dividends.  Immediate impact.  Wait until Dexter McCluster gets more inserted into the scheme of things.  31 on San Francisco is quite impressive, 31 is also how many points they’ve allowed in three games.
• Minnesota and Dallas are still the top challengers to the champs.  Atlanta beat the champs, yet in doing so they needed a FG kicker to miss a 29-yarder.  What I like about what the Cowboys showed me was their defense.  They shut down a potent Texans scoring machine.  Mike Jenkins is easily a Top 5 CB.  He put the master lock down on Andre Johnson.  DeMarcus Ware is as good as they get.  They humiliated Houston in every way imaginable.  As for the Vikings, Adrian Peterson.  Let Favre smooth his back and get Percy Harvin more involved.  I don’t see anyone providing a tougher challenge except…
• Mike Vick’s Philadelphia Eagles.  He’s playing like an All-Pro.  MVP?  Check out the D: 6 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 11 QB hits, and 8 passes defensed.  Jeremy Maclin is special, now he’s starting to realize it.  He’s figuring things out, that’s scary.  Coming out of Mizzou he was the most talented player in the 2009 draft.  Jackson-Maclin, good nite.  Only team that can contain that in the NFC: Dallas.  Forget Donovan coming back to Philly, well, just for a moment, and reserve this date: December 12th, Sunday night in Dallas. That will decide the division.
• Without Anquan Boldin the Baltimore Ravens are more than likely 0-3. This team is going to lose next week at Pittsburgh.  Lack of run game hurts.  Ray Rice is hurting, literally (knee).
• Troy Polamalu is so good, he picked off a pass while resting on the sidelines.  He’s back, ready, and better than ever.  Steelers are #1 atop my Power Rankings replacing New Orleans this week.
• My players of the week nominees: Austin Collie and Leon Washington. One guy we didn’t even know about heading into 2009, the other, got traded for an underachieving, overhyped RB from USC on draft day.  One drafted in the 4th round, the other dealt for a 4th round pick.  What does this tell us: Choose wisely in the mid-late rounds, you can find hidden gems that can turn out to be the difference some weeks in the NFL.
• Mark Sanchez can lead the Jets to the playoffs.  I’ve changed my stance on this team.  Sanchez might be ready to take this team to big places.  Sanchez, not the defense, Sanchez.  I didn’t think he could do it this soon.  Along the way he will find that Dustin Keller is his go-to guy.  Kid is a game-changer.  Tremendous athlete.
• Why not early playoff look:  NFC teams that are IN: New Orleans, Dallas, Minnesota.  AFC teams that are IN: Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, New England.  NFC teams that are on the fence: Chicago, Green Bay, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Atlanta.  AFC teams that are on the fence: Cincinnati, New York, Baltimore, Tennessee, Kansas City.  NFC teams that are feeling uh: New York, Washington, Seattle.  AFC teams that are feeling uh: San Diego, Houston, Miami.  The rest: prepare for April.  “If fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.” John Wooden.

The Raiders lost the game 24 – 23. And yes, they lost it more than the Cardinals won it. 11 penalties for 123 yards and Seabass' 3 missed field goals allowed them to lose the game. Let's review the rest…

1. Run DMC

Yep. 33 team rushes, 133 yards as a team. 100 yards for DMC. I wish they would have ran him more in the red zone though.

2. Punish Derek Anderson

Eh. Only 4 QB hits and 2 sacks. They should have brought more pressure, they could have forced 1 or 2 more turnovers against Anderson. He is not good.

3. No Big Plays

Nope. Out the window on the first kickoff. And that play is the only reason that the Cardinals were in the game first half. Great job by Nnamdi covering Larry Fitzgerald all day.

4. Start Strong and Fast

Yes. They scored right away, they were aggressive, it was a welcome site versus the slow first halves we've seen.

5. Do something special

NOOOO! Not only did you give up a big play right off the bat, the kicking game for the Raiders has been consistent. And Seabass was not costing them the game. BTW, if they designed a play to punt it off of the other team players, great game planning, that was clever.

SIGH…it was frustrating to watch the Raiders dominate the entire game except the opening kickoff and then lose because of the kicker. Everything was there for them to be 2 -1 and now, they face a really good Houston Texans team at home which will be tough. Damn on the missed opportunity…

It seems like the Indianapolis Colts find ways to win, despite obstacles that would hurt other NFL teams. They are without the services of wide receivers Pierre Garcon and Anthony Gonzalez, leaving Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie as the main wideouts for the Colts.

None of that mattered to Peyton Manning as his WR of the day would be Collie. Manning threw for three touchdowns while Collie caught a dozen passes for a career-high 171 yards and a pair of scores, allowing Indianapolis to escape Invesco Field with the 27-13 victory Sunday afternoon.

The running attacks for both teams were pretty much non-existent as both teams combined to rush for a meager 87 yards. But Manning and Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton made up for the lack of running.

Rookie miscues doomed Denver as Indianapolis took advantage and would take a 13-3 lead at halftime, courtesy of bad special teams by the Broncos’ Perrish Cox and a bad pass route ran by Demaryius Thomas, which led to an interception by the Colts’ Jacob Lacey.

Manning hooked up with reserve WR Blair White for a 9-yard TD pass, giving Indianapolis a 20-10 advantage wth 4:51 left in the third quarter. A 34-yard FG by Matt Prater got Denver to within 20-13, but Manning sealed the deal with a TD strike to Collie, putting the Colts for good at 27-13.

Manning had his typical decent effort, going 27-of-43 for 325 yards with 3 TDs while Orton went 37-of-57 for a record 476 yards along with a TD and INT.

Jsoeph Addai led the Colts rushers with 29 yards while newly acquired Laurence Maroney led the Broncos with 24 rushing yards.

Collie led all Colts receivers with 12 receptions for 171 yards and 2 TDs while Reggie Wayne caught 4 for 65 yards. Brandon Lloyd led the Broncos receivers with 6 receptions for 169 yards and a score while Jabar Gaffney caught 12 for 140 yards.

Indianapolis (2-1), winners of two straight, fly to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars next Sunday while Denver (1-2) travels to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans – also next Sunday.

The Rams faced arguably their toughest opponent in week 3 in the Washington Redskins and the Rams came out with their best performance from offense, defense, special teams and coaching.  The Rams had their best second half of the season without their best player in running back Steven Jackson. 

In the first quarter the Rams got off to their now-traditional hot start.  In the second quarter, the Rams looked to fall apart like they usually do after their hot start.  The Rams took a lead into halftime for the second week in a row.  But, the second half was much different than last week after the Redskins got a quick field goal.  The Rams put their stamp on the game and began to actually dominate the Redskins.

Rams opened up the game with a great drive that featured Steven Jackson who torched the Redskins defense for a 42-yard touchdown run. The Rams then scored on a nifty rollout and 1 yard TD pass from Sam Bradford to Daniel Fells.  Bradford expertly ran to the line of scrimmage on a rollout bringing the defense to him then feathering a short pass to a wide open Daniel Fells.

Steven Jackson went down with a groin injury right before half time and went quickly to the locker room.  He did not come back into the game, but stayed in uniform and on the sidelines for the second half.  The Rams replaced him with Kenneth Darby and Keith Toston.  The Rams adjusted and began to use the pass to set up the run in the second half and the offensive line was able to open larger holes for the Rams running backs than they were in previous second halves in 2010.

The Rams coaching staff adjusted because they were without their star running back, but that is selling the Rams coaching staff short.  The Rams had the Redskins coaching staff on their heels as they had to go against their standard game plan.  The Redskins had no answer for the Rams offensive line as it began to put its stamp on the game after a terrible 2nd quarter.  RG John Greco was rotated into the game and the Rams were able to get push up front against the vaunted defensive line featuring Albert Haynesworth and former Ram Adam Carriker.

The perfect microcosm of the "new" Rams playcalling on offense was a Rams 3rd and 20 from around midfield with the time ticking down in the 4th quarter.  Instead of calling a run to use up the clock, Shurmur called a rollout and Sam Bradford threw a bullet to Mark Clayton, who was able to spin and get the first down and keep the clock running.

Let's go to the quick hits.

There is a lot to like for the Rams in this game, but injuries to playmaker on offense (Steven Jackson) and playmaker on defense (OJ Atogwe) could hurt going forward.  The nature of their injuries will be big new this week. Hopefully neither are very serious, but Jackson's injury and his reaction did not look good.

The Rams were not mistake free, piling up almost 100 yards in penalties, allowing a blocked chip shot FG, a fumble and an interception, but the good news is that the Rams do not have to play a perfect game to win a game in the NFL.  They were not perfect, but they did not need to be.

The Rams were able to be successful running the football without Steven Jackson because their offensive line was opening holes left and right for Kenneth Darby and Keith Toston.  The Rams also were able to scheme the running game to success by passing to set up the run.

Sam Bradford was huge as usual.  He is becoming a non-story as he continues to play great football.

It cannot be emphasized enough that the Rams coaches out-coached the high profile Redskins coaching staff lead by Mike Shanahan and Jim Haslett.  Great job by the Rams coaches to craft a new game plan without Steven Jackson that kept the Rams offense humming like we have not seen in 2010.

With his troubled past behind him, Michael Vick hs gotten a new lease on life and has been able to concentrate on trying to resurrect his career as quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Based on his efforts Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, i think that he’s well on his way to being the kind of quarterback he was while with the Atlanta Falcons.

Vick threw for three touchdowns while running for a score, allowing Philadelphia to decimate Jacksonville 28-3 and win their second straight game.

Things went bad early for the Jaguars as the Eagles defensive line abused the Jaguars’ Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, sacking David Garrard six times.

Vick got things started in the first half as he went long and short on scoring drives, connecting with DeSean Jackson on a 61-yard strike in the first quarter. Vick would strike again in the second quarter as he tossed a 16-yard TD pass, extending the Eagles’ lead to 14-3 with 4 seconds left in the half.

Vick and Maclin connected again in the third on a 45-yard pass, putting Philadelphia ahead for good at 21-3 with 5:21 left in the third, with Vick putting the matter to rest with a 17-yard TD run, making it 28-3.

Vick had a decent effort, going 17-of-31 for 291 yards with 3 TDs while running for a score. Garrard fared much worse, going 13-of-30 for 105 yards with an interception.

The rushing game of the Eagles was led by LeSean McCoy with 54 yards on 11 carries while Maurice Jones-Drew led the Jaguars with 88 rushing yards.

Jackson had a big day for the Eagles catching the ball with 5 receptions for 153 yards and a TD while Maclin scored twice while catching 4 passes for 83 yards. Mike Sims Walker led all Jaguars receivers with 2 receptions for 34 yards.

Philadelphia (2-1) returns home to host the Washington Redskins next Sunday while Jacksonville remains at home to host the Indianapolis Colts – also next Sunday.

In April, experts lauded what Seattle did in the 2010 National Football League Draft. Sunday, Seattle showed why.

Facing a do-or-die fourth-and-fifteen from Seattle's 17-yard line with just 15 seconds remaining in the game, San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers looked for wide receiver Legedu Naanee near the goal line in what would have been the potentially game-tying touchdown; however, safety Earl Thomas had other plans. The 5-foot-10, 202-pound rookie taken in the first round of April's Draft dashed the Chargers' last-second hopes with a diving interception, his second on the day, as Seattle preserved a 27-20 victory over San Diego.

The win keeps Seattle (2-1) tied atop the NFC West with Arizona, while the Chargers (1-2) remain in a three-way tie for second place in the AFC West.

After falling behind by 17 points early in the second half, San Diego went on a 20-3 run spanning the third and fourth quarters in what seemed like a come-from-behind victory in the making. That's to say, until another Seattle draft-day acquisition, like the safety Thomas, made his presence felt a second time.

Midway through the fourth quarter, kick return specialist Leon Washington snatched the ball off the ground from his one-yard line and took off. Passing the 20, the first-year Seahawk acquired in a draft-day trade with the New York Jets, ran into a logjam of Chargers and fellow Seahawks at the Seattle 25-yard line, but was able to bounce off the pack and make would-be tackler Nate Kaeding miss. With no one left in front of him, Washington finished off a 99-yard return for the go-ahead score with 6:24 remaining in the game.

The touchdown was his second of the day.

His first was just as electric and even more noteworthy. Opening the second half, Washington took a kick two yards into his end zone and exploited a gaping hole opened up by his blockers between his 15- and 20-yard lines and scampered 101 yards down field for the touchdown that put his name in the Seahawks' record book. The return is the longest in the franchise's history. An Olindo Mare extra point put Seattle up 17-0 13 seconds into the third quarter.

Washington's two-touchdown performance Sunday comes less than a year after breaking his right leg while still a member of the Jets in a Week Seven matchup against the Oakland Raiders.

San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers also made history, recording a career-high in passing yards with 455 while also throwing two touchdowns. Seattle's rookie safety, Earl Thomas, accounted for both of Rivers' interceptions.

Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck completed 19 of 32 passing attempts for 220 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Can't get enough NFLGridironGab?  Follow SeahawksGab Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

Last week when the Texans gave up over 420 yards to Donovan McNabb and the Redskins, the preseason worries about the Texans secondary slowly restarted.  This week's loss to Dallas at home now confirms the fears.  Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys calmly and tactically put up 284 yards in the air for two Roy Williams touchdowns.  On the opposite side, the Texans offense sputtered to say the least.

From the get-go, the Texans never got their pass offense going.  Foster was able to break a few good runs throughout the game showing his one-cut ability and great field vision, but Matt Schaub's 241 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions passing did not resemble the Texans we saw the first two weeks, which team that led the NFL in total yards.

The Cowboys offense methodically attacked the Texans on offense throughout the game.  Jason Garrett brought the run game attack throughout the first quarter, mixing in Marion Barber's strength and Felix Jones' speed into the half. Although no points were scored in the first quarter, the Cowboys began to control the clock and tempo of the game.

Romo got the ball to seven different Cowboy receivers, playing it safe and finding open receivers.  By the end of the game, the Cowboys relied on Barber's hustle to hammer out and finish off the Texans for the win.  The Dallas offense capped the win with , including 101 total rushing yards.

The Cowboys defense blitzed at the right time, caused confusion on the Texans' offensive line and was able to shut down the Texans' key players.  Arian Foster did not score a touchdown on the goal line, Matt Schaub's offense failed to score three times in the red zone, and Gary Kubiak's play calling went brilliant to ineffective as the offense never got going.  

While the Cowboys middle linebacker Keith Brooking had two penalties on him which gave the Texans opportunities to put points on the board, the Texans did not capitalize but instead ended their chances throwing Brooking an interception the play after he committed a pass interference in the endzone.  

Lastly, Spencer played a great game for the Cowboys and proved the Texans offensive line still has miles of work to do before it gets to the level they should be at to protect in Kubiak's offense.

For the Texans, the defensive secondary was eaten up all day.  You know its bad when your safety was a tackle behind the team leader in tackles, meaning the opposing team's run game and pass game was getting past the front seven to the defensive backfield.  

Brice McCain against the Cowboys was treated like Petey Faggins against opposing offenses.  He gave up big plays while rookie Kareem Jackson showed improvement but was responsible for Dallas first downs and Texans penalties. And for the Texans' playmakers, Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans could not get anything going.  Williams had put pressure and hits on Romo but did not register a stat.

Ryans only had five tackles with five assists.  Bernard Pollard is the Texans' ballhawk with six tackles and nine assists, but it was truly because the cowboys were moving the ball to the Texans' secondary with every gain.

Additionally, the Texans offense played an ugly game.  Veteran tackle and offensive leader Eric Winston was responsible for three handicapping penalties to the Texans offense.  

Foster ended the game with over 100 yards but also had a fumble that closed the door on the Texans.  And Matt Schaub couldn't connect all day with his receivers as he's done in the past.

He looked bad, and Andre Johnson's ankle injury limited him and took him out of the game once in the third quarter. Although Kevin Walter registered a touchdown, it was at the end of the game in garbage time.

Overall, the Texans had 33% red zone efficiency and lost the battle of field position, yards (-45), turnovers (-3), and time of possession (-4:40).  

The win should teach the Texans a lot about themselves and help them push forward to cure their weaknesses.  For next week, The Texans will head to Oakland hoping to take a win back from the Raiders, who beat the Texans in December of 2008.

It may not have been as easy as people would have liked it, but the Patriots dominance over the Bills continued Sunday with a 38-30 home win to put the team at 2-1.

Tom Brady had a big day vs the Bills D, going 21 of 27 for 252 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Two of those scores went to Randy Moss as Brady bounced back from a so-so performance in a 28-14 loss to the Jets in which he fumbled on the Patriots last offensive play.

It was a nip and tuck affair for the most part, as the Bills played their best game of the season by far. They stayed close for most of the game only to be done in by fourth-quarter interceptions by Patrick Chung and Brandon Meriweather.

Brady has topped the Bills 14 straight times, not having lost to them since the opener of the 2003 season. New England tied Miami for the third longest winning streak against a single opponent. The Dolphins beat the Colts in 14 straight games from 1980-1987. The Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984.

Last week the Jets, the Pats were outscored 18-0 in the second half, continuing last year's trend of struggling down the stretch. But on the first series of the third quarter Sunday, Brady hit Moss for a 35-yard touchdown as the Patriots went ahead 24-16.

They were able to stay ahead the rest of the way, putting the game away with the two late picks. "Two things helped us," Wes Welker said. "We were more unpredictable on offense and we didn't shoot ourselves in the foot."

They will have to do that again next Monday, as they head to Florida to play the Dolphins on Monday night.

While you cannot really make a true analysis of an NFL team after two games, one thing is for certain. The Kansas City Chiefs, prior to their game against the San Francisco 49ers, were 2-0, while San Francisco was 0-2.

The game at Arrowhead Stadium was dominated by the Chiefs basically from beginning to end as Matt Cassel tossed 3 touchdown passes while Thomas Jones also scored, allowing Kansas City to thrash San Francisco 31-10 and remain undefeated in the AFC West.

The Chiefs were full of tricks as head coach Todd Haley opted for an onside kick after their first touchdown while also converting a 4th-and-1 from midfield and scoring on a trick play in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, the 49ers suffered from chronically poor field position, starting drives from their own 13, 10, 22, 24 and twice from their 12. As it would turn out, San Francisco would start two drives beyond their own 28.

Neither team did much in the oppening period as no scoring took place. But it would be all Kansas City as Cassel connected with Dexter McCluster on a 31-yard score, taking a 7-0 lead; Ryan Succop nailed a 32-yard field goal with no time left in the second quarter, putting Kansas City ahead 10-3.

Cassel put the game away in the second half as he tossed a pair of TD passes – one to Dwayne Bowe and to Tony Moeaki nearly eight minutes later, putting the Chiefs ahead for good at 24-3.

Cassel had a very good outing, going 16-of-27 for 250 yards with 3 TDs and an interception while the 49ers’ Alex Smith went 23-of-42 for 232 yards with a TD and INT.

The Chiefs running game did quite well, with Jammal Charles and Jones accounting for 192 of the team’s 207 total rushing yards. Charles also caught 3 passes for 57 yards. Meanwhile, Frank Gore did all of San Francisco’s rushing, getting only 43 yards on 15 carries while catching 9 passes for 102 yards.

McCluster led all Chiefs receivers, catching 3 passes for 69 yards and a score while Bowe caught 2 for 61 and a TD. Dominique Zeigler caught 3 passes for 28 yards for the 49ers.

Kansas City (3-0) looks to extend their winning streak to four as they get a bye week and do not play again until October 10 when they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts while San Francisco (0-3) travels to Atlanta to take on the Falcons next Sunday.